CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: BREAKING POINTS

Helen folded the last of her clothes into her bag, smoothing the fabric down with a slow exhale. The room was eerily quiet except for the faint rustling of fabric and the occasional snap of a closing buckle. She had packed efficiently—only the essentials. Nothing here felt like home, and she was eager to leave the Demon Realm behind.

Near the door, Nicole stood with her arms crossed, already packed and waiting. Her expression was neutral, but Helen could tell she was anxious to leave.

A sudden knock at the door broke the silence. It was firm, but far from the harsh pounding she had experienced before. Helen's brows furrowed in mild surprise. She glanced at Nicole before approaching the door.

When she opened it, a guard stood outside, his posture stiff but respectful. He bowed slightly.

"The King requests your presence."

Helen studied him, noting the stark difference in his tone compared to the last time he had come bearing the King's summons. No trace of disdain, no mockery. She narrowed her eyes slightly but nodded. "I'll be there shortly."

The guard gave a respectful nod and stepped aside.

Helen turned back to Nicole. "Wait here. I won't be long."

Nicole simply nodded, her expression unreadable.

Helen followed the guard through the grand halls of the King's palace, her footsteps echoing softly against the polished stone floor. The air was thick with an unfamiliar stillness—no hostile stares, no hushed whispers of contempt. Even the torches lining the walls flickered more gently, casting a subdued glow instead of their usual ominous blaze.

Something was different.

When they reached a set of heavy doors, the guard stepped aside and pushed them open. Warm light spilled out from within, accompanied by the rich, earthy scent of aged wine.

Helen stepped inside, her sharp gaze immediately landing on the King seated at a long, polished table. Shelves of wine bottles lined the walls, and a fire crackled softly in the corner, filling the room with an almost inviting warmth.

Helen remained standing at the entrance, arms crossed. "You wanted to see me?"

The King gestured to the empty chair across from him. "Sit, Helen. Choose a wine."

Helen raised an eyebrow. "I'm not in the mood for wine."

The King chuckled, swirling his own glass lazily. "Indulge me. At least once." His voice lacked its usual sharpness; instead, it held a strange warmth she hadn't heard before.

Helen hesitated, then exhaled, stepping forward. She scanned the bottles lining the walls before selecting a deep red vintage. A servant immediately poured her a glass, and she sat across from the King, watching him carefully as she took a sip.

The King leaned back in his chair, tapping a clawed finger against the table. "I owe you an apology."

Helen blinked, caught off guard. She set her glass down.

"For what, exactly?" she asked cautiously.

"For how you've been treated since you arrived." His voice was low, but sincere. "The hostility, the disrespect—I won't make excuses for it. I only wanted to test you."

Helen's eyes narrowed. "Test me?"

The King nodded. "To see if you were truly worthy. To see if you would break under pressure or prove yourself strong enough to stand by my daughter's side." He took a slow sip of his wine before continuing. "You've given me no reason to keep Nicole here, nor to question your ability. You are a capable woman, Helen."

Helen studied him carefully, searching for any sign of deceit. But there was none.

The King exhaled, a rare smile crossing his lips. "I see now what Seth Remmick, the Kovo, saw in you. Why he chose you as his wife."

Helen's fingers curled slightly around the stem of her glass. The unexpected mention of Seth sent a pang through her chest, but she didn't let it show.

"I suppose that means I've earned your respect," she said evenly.

The King nodded. "You have."

Helen took another sip of her wine, letting the moment sink in.

For the first time since arriving in the Demon Realm, she felt something shift.

Respect.

And that, she knew, was far more valuable than fear.

The warmth of the fire cast flickering shadows across the King's face, softening the usual hardness in his expression. He took a slow sip of his drink before speaking.

"Ever since I lost my wife," he began, his voice low but steady, "I swore to protect Nicole with everything I had." His gaze drifted to the wine in his hand as though it held memories of the past. "I know my methods may seem harsh—overprotective, even—but she is the only thing left that reminds me of the love I once shared."

Helen remained silent for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle. She had seen countless parents struggle with the same fear—the desperate need to shield their children from a cruel world. Finally, she nodded. "I understand your feelings," she said simply, her voice carrying the sincerity of someone who had spent her life caring for others.

The King sighed, setting his glass down. "Then, I ask one last thing of you." His crimson eyes locked onto hers with unguarded emotion. "Look after my daughter."

Helen, ever professional, held his gaze without wavering. "I care for every child in my school equally," she stated. "I am a mother to all of them, and I would never allow harm to befall any of my students."

For a long moment, the King studied her before exhaling a quiet chuckle. "Spoken like a true Headmistress."

With that, he raised his glass in a silent farewell, and Helen mirrored the gesture before finishing her drink.

Back in her room, Helen found Nicole standing by the door, arms crossed, her impatience barely concealed. "What did my father want?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Helen simply smiled. "Don't worry about it," she replied, a portal back to Ashwood Haven Academy forms in front of them. A swirling vortex of light formed before them, illuminating the room in an ethereal glow.

Nicole huffed but didn't press further, stepping through the portal first. Helen followed, her mind lingering for just a moment on the Demon King's parting words before the portal closed behind them.

The air was thick with the scent of blood and gunpowder. The battlefield was a graveyard of broken bodies and smoldering remains, the echoes of battle still lingering in the wind.

Amid the carnage, Ken lay on his back, his body convulsing violently, his breaths ragged and uneven. His fingers clawed at the dirt as an unnatural force surged through his veins.

Selena knelt beside him, her own body weak and trembling, but her focus was solely on him.

"Ken!" she called, gripping his shoulders, trying to still his shaking form. "Ken, stay with me!"

But he didn't respond. His eyes, normally sharp and calculating, were unfocused, his body betraying him under the weight of the Shadow coursing through his system. Selena tightened her grip, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"Damn it, don't you dare die on me now."

She had transferred her Shadow to him in a desperate bid to save his life, but now, the very thing that granted him strength was trying to snuff out his breath. Ken convulsed on the bloodstained battlefield, his body rejecting the foreign power, and Selena knelt beside him, her hands trembling.

She was disoriented, lost, with no idea how to stop this. She couldn't take back the deadly gift without killing him, yet she couldn't stop it from killing him either. She was trapped, standing at a crossroads with no way forward.

There was only one option left.

Through sheer desperation, she tore open a portal, her thoughts frantic. There was only one person who might know what to do—her mother.

The portal flared to life, crackling with unstable energy, opening into the school compound, just a few steps away from Helen's office.

Time was running out.

Exhaustion clawed at her limbs, but she forced herself forward, her battered body protesting with every step. The hallways of Ashwood Haven blurred around her, her only focus on the door ahead. She didn't slow down. She didn't knock.

With a burst of desperation, Selena threw the door open, stumbling inside. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she crashed to the floor, panting, her vision swimming. The scent of parchment and ink was overpowered by the stench of blood—her blood, Ken's blood, the battle clinging to her.

Helen shot up from her chair, her face paling. Nicole was already moving, rushing to Selena's side, her small hands trying to steady her. But Selena barely registered it.

Helen was in front of her in seconds, gripping her shoulders, scanning her tattered form with rising panic.

"Selena!" Her voice was sharp with fear. "What's going on? Is this your blood? Are you hurt?" A pause, then firmer, more urgent— "What happened?"

Selena's lips parted, but no words came. Her chest ached, her breath shallow, her mind reeling.

"I—I—" she stuttered, her throat tightening. She could barely breathe, barely think. Ken's convulsing body flashed in her mind. The Shadow writhing inside him. The look of pain on his face.

Her vision blurred.

"I messed up, Mama…"

The words cracked as they left her lips. A confession. A plea. And then… silence.

Helen's expression changed.

Selena's breath came in frantic gasps as she scrambled to piece together the words, her thoughts tangled, a chaotic mess of desperation. She opened her mouth, but the sounds that escaped were too fast, too jumbled.

"I—he was dying, I—he was convulsing and—I had to save him, I couldn't let him die, and I—he—"

Helen's eyes widened in confusion, her hands gently gripping Selena's arms, trying to steady her. "Selena! Slow down!" Her voice was firm, but laced with concern. "Focus. Details. Tell me what happened, exactly."

Selena's mind raced. She was trying to get it all out, but it was like trying to catch water in her hands. She struggled for control, her pulse thundering in her ears. Her eyes darted to the floor as she exhaled, steadying herself enough to force the words out.

"I… I transferred my shadow to him."

Helen froze, her brow furrowing as she processed her daughter's words. "Who?"

"Ken," Selena gasped, her voice trembling. "The boy I told you about."

Helen's face went pale, her eyes wide with disbelief. She took a step back, her hand flying to her forehead as if to steady herself against the sheer weight of her daughter's words.

"You... what?" she snapped, her voice cold and sharp. "You transferred your shadow to him? Do you realize how reckless that is?"

Selena flinched under her mother's piercing gaze, but she stood her ground, guilt swirling in her gut. "I-I didn't know what else to do, Mama. He was dying, and I couldn't just let him -"

"Stop," Helen interrupted, her voice low, seething with fury. "Do you know what you've done? You've tied him to you, and worse- you've tied him to the Shadow Realm."

Selena's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes searched Helen's, trying to make sense of the fire in her mother's voice. "But he's alive, Mama. That's all that matters!"

Helen's face twisted in a mix of anger and concern. "Alive, yes, but at what cost? If that boy survives the infusion of your shadow, he will control shadows-his power will be unprecedented. Not only that, he will have access to the Shadow Realm. The defenses set in place by the first Guardian were meant to kill any intruder. If he survives this, your shadow will protect him, and those defenses will not harm him."

Her voice grew even darker, colder. "Do you understand what that means? He could walk Into the Shadow Realm, without fear of death, and tear it apart. He could turn everything we've built to dust. If he decides to betray you -"

Selena's eyes widened, a chill running down her spine as she began to realize the magnitude of her actions.

Helen didn't give her a chance to respond. Her words were clipped, final. "The only way to fix this is to kill him now. While you still have control. It's better this way, Selena. If he's allowed to live, there's no telling what kind of chaos he could bring upon the Realm. You need to end it before he becomes a threat to everything-everything."

Selena's heart pounded in her chest. The idea of killing Ken, the boy she had grown to love, the boy she had saved, felt impossible. Her mind reeled, torn between the weight of her mother's warning and the love she felt for him.

But in Helen's eyes, there was only one option left.

"Do it," she said quietly. "End it now, before it's too late."

Nicole stood in the corner, a silent spectator to the heated exchange. She was frozen in place, unable to speak or act, her gaze flicking between Helen and Selena. The tension was suffocating, and the weight of the situation bore down on her like a physical force.

Tears streamed down Selena's face, her eyes red and raw. She took a shaky breath and, with a voice barely above a whisper, asked, "If it were Papa, would you let him die?"

The question hit Helen like a bomb. It shocked her to the core, leaving her momentarily stunned. Her anger, already simmering, now exploded. She stared at her daughter with a look of disbelief and disgust. "You think you can ask me something like that?" she growled, her voice tight with fury. "I would do anything to save your father because I'm married to him, and he's your father. But you? You think because you love this boy it's okay to endanger everything?"

Selena stood tall, despite her tears, her voice breaking with the conviction she was trying to hold onto. "Ken wouldn't harm the Realm."

Helen scoffed, her lips curling into a bitter sneer. "What's your guarantee? Love? Foolish girl, this isn't a fairy tale. You don't get to make those kinds of decisions. I will end him myself."

"You will do no such thing, Mama!" Selena flared, her voice filled with desperation and anger.

The words hit Helen like a slap, the fury inside her surging once again. She took a step toward Selena, towering over her daughter. "What are you going to do, Selena? Fight me?"

Selena's heart pounded in her chest. She wiped the tears from her face, her voice breaking as she looked up at her mother, her words filled with raw emotion. "If you kill him, I will kill myself."

Helen's eyes flared with anger, but the weight of her daughter's words struck her deeply. "Is that a threat?"

"I'm sorry, Mama, Selena whispered, her voice trembling. "I love him, and as you are ready to do anything to save Papa, as will I."

Helen's gaze hardened, her fists clenching at her sides. "And what if he betrays you?"

"You don't fall in love with hopes, the other would betray you someday."

"But it is a possibility worth considering. Plus you're putting the Realm in danger, and I can't allow it"

"Yes, you can," Selena said softly, her voice steady as she gently held her mother's hand. "Ken is not a threat. Believe me, Mama."

"And if he turns out to be a threat?" Helen stared deep into her daughter's eyes, searching for something—anything—that would convince her.

Selena tried to compose herself, but the weight of her words broke her. "I will end him," she said, her voice faltering.

Helen noticed the hesitation in her daughter's tone. She sighed heavily, the fight draining from her. She turned to Nicole. "I'm sorry you had to witness all that."

"It's alright," Nicole answered awkwardly, unsure of how to react.

Helen's gaze softened as she turned back to Selena, her voice laced with both exhaustion and concern. "My foolish girl..." She sighed again, the tension finally easing from her shoulders. "Come take me to him."

Ken was lying on the sterile white bed in the school clinic, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if his very soul were being pulled in different directions. His eyes flickered open briefly before closing again, a weak groan escaping his lips. His skin was pale, his breath shallow, and his heart raced erratically.

Helen stood at the foot of the bed, her expression unreadable as she studied him. Selena hovered nearby, worry etched across her face, her hands clenched at her sides, ready to move at a moment's notice. Nicole, standing in the corner, remained quiet, her eyes darting between the two women, unsure of what to do.

"Get him sedated," Helen ordered, her voice firm. Her gaze never left Ken, her mind working quickly as she assessed the damage.

Selena hesitated, but nodded in response. "Shouldn't we…"

"I said sedate him," Helen interrupted sharply, her tone leaving no room for argument. She turned to the nurse who had just entered, her eyes dark with concern. "Get the tranquilizers, now."

As the nurse moved to gather the necessary medication, Helen stepped closer to Ken, placing a hand gently on his forehead. She could feel the searing heat radiating from his skin, his pulse erratic beneath her touch. Her fingers brushed against his temple, and for a moment, it felt as if the world had stopped.

Helen's gaze softened, her lips pressing into a tight line. The power of Selena's shadow was still coursing through him—fighting against his very essence—but it was more than that. She could feel the instability in his body, a foreign energy spreading through him like wildfire. Her hand lingered there for a moment longer, her thoughts racing.

"Hold him steady," she instructed, her voice quieter now. The nurse injected the tranquilizer into his arm, and within moments, Ken's body slumped, his shaking slowly ceasing. His breaths steadied, but his face remained twisted in pain, his eyes still flickering beneath his closed lids.

Helen stepped back, her eyes hardening once more as she took in the damage. She had never seen anything like this. The shadow—Selena's shadow—was wreaking havoc within his system.

"Selena..." Her voice was low, strained. "You've put him on a dangerous path. This boy... he's not like you. He's not Tenebri. He can't survive this without consequences."

Selena's eyes flashed with a mixture of guilt and fear. "I couldn't let him die, Mama. He wasn't supposed to—"

"I know what you thought you were doing," Helen interrupted, her voice softer now, though still filled with authority. "But there's a difference between saving someone and condemning them. You've put him in a position where he'll either die or become something he wasn't meant to be."

Selena looked down at Ken, her throat tightening. "I... I just wanted him to live."

Helen's gaze softened for a fraction of a second before hardening again. She stepped back, motioning for the nurse to administer the final dose. "Now we wait. But know this, Selena—he's not out of the woods. Not yet."

Her eyes flicked to her daughter, whose hands were still clenched, her face pale from both the emotional and physical strain. Selena stood there, her body still trembling, though more from exhaustion than fear now. The battle had taken its toll on her, her clothes torn and stained with blood. Helen exhaled slowly, her brow furrowed in frustration and concern.

"Selena," Helen said, her voice sharp but laced with a hint of motherly worry, "sit down. You're in no condition to stand like that."

Selena didn't argue. She collapsed into the nearby chair, her body slumping with a sigh. She didn't even notice when Helen motioned for the nurse to approach.

"Check her wounds," Helen commanded, her eyes on Selena, noting how her daughter winced with every movement. "Make sure there's no internal damage. Her injuries are secondary now, but if she's in any condition to fight again, she needs to heal."

The nurse nodded, quickly moving to Selena's side and beginning to examine the girl. Helen paced the room, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, none of them good. She couldn't stop thinking about Ken. Every moment that passed without his response—his body limp and sedated on the bed—felt like a lifetime.

Turning to Selena, Helen's voice softened, a rare vulnerability in her eyes. "There's nothing either of us can do now. The shadow inside him... it's too much for him to handle. We have to wait and see if he survives. I pray, for your sake, he does."

Selena nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Her heart was in turmoil, knowing the consequences of her rash decision. She couldn't take it back now. She could only hope she hadn't made the worst mistake of her life.

Helen's gaze turned sharp again, the weight of her position falling back onto her shoulders. "And you, Selena..." she said softly, almost as if speaking to herself. "You're a mess. You need rest. You're no good to him if you can't even stand."

Selena opened her mouth to argue, but Helen cut her off with a raised hand. "No arguments. Nurse, put her to sleep. Let her rest before she makes herself worse."

The nurse hesitated for a brief moment, but then nodded, pulling a vial from her medical kit. With quick, practiced hands, she administered the sedative. Within seconds, Selena's eyelids drooped, and the tension in her body seemed to melt away as she drifted into unconsciousness.

Helen looked down at her daughter, her heart heavy. She had made a hard choice earlier—to let Selena take control of her emotions, to save the boy she loved, but now the consequences were impossible to ignore. What if Ken didn't survive? What if this choice—this mistake—had just sealed their fate?

Helen glanced once more at the unconscious Selena, then turned her gaze to Ken, still sedated, his fate hanging by a thread. She stood silent for a moment, the weight of the situation settling on her shoulders.

"We'll see," she muttered to herself, her voice low. "We'll see."

With Ken in a calmer state, Selena resting, Helen decides to pay me a visit. Nicole offers to tag along but Helen rejects, instead she leaves Nicole in the hands of her trusted assistant.

Helen's sharp gaze never wavered as she stepped fully into the room, the heavy door swinging shut behind her with a soft click. She didn't flinch, didn't falter in her resolve. This time, her posture was different—hardened, colder—like steel wrapped in silk.

She took a long look at me, eyes glinting with a sharpness that set my teeth on edge. I met her stare, not flinching, not breaking.

"Finally, come to let me out?" I asked, my voice steady but with an edge of defiance.

"Depends on you," Helen replied, her voice unwavering. She took a step closer, and for a moment, the air between us felt charged. "If I walk out of this room today, you won't ever see me again. You and your pursuit for vengeance will end in this room."

Her words lingered in the air, thick with finality. It felt like an ultimatum—a choice I wasn't ready to make. My chest tightened, the weight of her tone pressing against me, but I refused to show any sign of weakness.

I studied her, noting the subtle change in her demeanor. Something was different. I raised an eyebrow, suspicion creeping into my thoughts. "You're not your normal calm self. What happened? I sensed Selena's Shadow a while ago—it seems… frenzy. Is she hurt?"

She tries to hide her surprise that I could sense Selena's Shadow from this far distance, her lips curled into a small, tight smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Is that worry I sense from you, Liam?"

I scoffed, trying to brush off the unease rising in me. "As if."

Helen laughed, the sound dry and cutting. "Don't stress yourself about Selena—"

I cut her off before she could finish, my patience thinning. "I wouldn't."

Her smile faltered, but something flickered in her gaze—approval, perhaps, but also a knowing edge to it. "Now, this is the Liam I know. Now, onto important matters…"

The shift was palpable now. Her voice softened slightly, but there was still a weight to it, as if she were about to drop something heavy. The tension between us remained thick, thick enough to cut through.

Helen's gaze softened, but there was still that undeniable edge to her presence. She folded her arms across her chest, considering me for a long moment. "Choose, Liam. You can either remain in this room for the rest of your days, locked away, or you can leave it behind and become a student at my school. No more vengeance. No more chaos. Just… a life."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with the implication that this was no easy decision. That the offer was not just a path to safety but a test of my will.

My lips twisted into a bitter smile as I leaned back against the cold stone wall. My eyes narrowed, defiant. "I'd rather die in here than be a student of your school. If that's the choice, then leave me to rot."

Helen's eyes hardened at my words, but her sigh was long and tired. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." She turned her back to me, heading for the door. "Then, I'll bid you farewell."

Her hand grasped the door handle, but before she could open it, my voice stopped her.

"Wait."

She didn't turn around, but her posture stiffened, her eyes closing for a moment as she braced herself for the words she knew were coming.

"Fine," I spat out begrudgingly, my voice laced with frustration. "I'll… I'll go. Just don't think for a second I'm doing this because I want to. You'll regret it."

Helen turned back toward me, her expression softening just slightly, though the steel in her gaze remained. She nodded once, her lips forming a small, knowing smile.

"Good. You've made the right choice, Liam." Her voice was quieter now, almost as if she understood the weight of the decision I had just made.

I didn't respond, but my scowl deepened, the flicker of resentment still burning in my eyes.

With that, Helen pushed open the door and stepped into the hallway, a path now set before me—whether I liked it or not.

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